Montjuic, Barcelona

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The castle of Montjuic sits on top of a hill overlooking Barcelona and the Mediterranean sea .... after taking a fast and quick ride up (see my other travel tip) the castle can be seen in about an hour and there is no admission to enter and walk around the castle .... There is some great views of the city and sea .... also inside there is a couple of place where you can buy soda's and snacks. We had a perfect day with no clouds in the sky .....

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Walk downwards from the cable car building/station to Passeig de Santa Madrona, in the Poble Sec. area to view the stunning Lliure Theatre. You can also take a bus down to the Poble Sec area.
The greek theatre is situated a few metres away from the Lliure Theatre. However, it is situated in a remote area and there are no signs as to how to get there. The greek theatre is situated within a huge villa and has gardens surrounding it.

It would be best if you were to ask the tourist information representative for directions prior to leaving Parc de Montjuic. We did ask a few passers-by to help us get to the Greek Theatre but it seemed as though no one knew what we were talking about.

Opposite the Lliure Theatre, you'll find the Museum of Archeology.

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One of the main attractions in Montjuic is the castle situated at the very top of the hill which you can reach easily by cable car. Buying a ticket for the cable car is easy - you can do so using one of the many automated machines situated at the entrance of the funicular station at Montjuic. If you need any assistance, there is a tourist information kiosk as soon as you exit the metro station before you enter the cable care building. Unfortunately, there aren't many people in Barcelona who can speak English, including the cable car attendants. They will try to help you as best as they can, but they will do so in Spanish.

Cable car adult tickets (with return) are approximately €9.30. You can choose to buy a one way ticket and then walk back down to the metro station.

A beautiful park surrounds the area around the castle. If you have time to spare, a stroll through this park should be worth your time. Admission to the castle is free of charge.

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Part 2 of our journey and on alighting from the Gondola, was a short walk to Montjuïc Castle. This Castle is located high above Barcelona and has wonderful views of the Harbour, Barcelona and surrounding area. It is easy to see why this site was chosen for the Castle.

THE CASTLE HAS QUITE A HISTORY.........................
It was built in 1640, but between the years 1705 and 1714 it was a key site in the War of the Spanish Succession. It was from this castle, that Barcelona was bombarded with mortar bombs, and then later it was bombed again. People were tortured, shot and murdered here.
In latter years, it was used as a military prison until 1960. There is more info on the web-page.
Inside the Castle I was able to make my way up to the top level for some more excellent views. For me, this seemed to be the main reason for coming here, plus it was kept very nice with lawns and flowers in the moat.
Worth coming to, and remember .....IT IS FREE!

OPEN......................
From 1 October to 31 March............ Monday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
From 1 April to 30 September...........Monday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m

The Jardins de Mossen Costa i Llobera [cactus gardens] are in Montjuic but most tourists miss them. Signposting is not a national strength.

From the castle, walk down from the seaward ridge of Montjuic and strike for the port cable car station (spot where the cables come down to earth). The station is (haphazardly) signposted. Bear right on the road running down the hill. The cactus gardens are on the steep mountain flank overlooking the port and immediately to the left of the cable car station, looking seaward. The entrance to the gardens is narrow and goes down a steep flight of steps [unsuitable for wheelchairs or for the frail and elderly!]

There are cacti and succulents from all around the world and some stand 20 feet high. It is a remarkable collection of plants. Curiously enough, it is only made possible by the garden's micro-climate. Shelter from northerly winds makes it 2 degrees warmer than the rest of the city. It is a sobering thought that the rest of Catalonia might soon end up looking like this if global warming continues unchecked.

When I first visited the gardens, you could hear the odd hissing sound as small objects rained down. Explosive seed pods, I thought innocently, musing on the wonders of Nature. It turned out to be a fine rain of shotgun pellets. You see, the clay pidgeon shooting club is a little way up the hill and this was the fallout! The cactus didn't like it (there were lots of "burn" holes in the plants) and it certainly put the wind up visitors. I didn't notice it on my last trip. Maybe it has finally dawned on the Council that tourists do not take to this kind of lead pollution.

Entry is free and the park is open from 10 to dusk. I have included a link to the city's Parks and Gardens web site (unhelpfully only available in Catalan - so much for the city's much-trumpeted commitment to the Information Society). The bottom right of the page gives directions (Situacio = "Map", Com anar-hi = "How to get there").

Have fun and don't touch the plants.

Website:

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Miramar gardens are a nice place to see some exotic plants, to watch panorama of seaside of Barcelona. Also there is nice bar near the Miramar gardens.

Plants of Miramar are not only native, Mediterranean, but also even from more Southern places of Africa, so on. If you hiked to Miramar gardens it is possible to get to Montjuic castle, it is just more up to go.

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You can walk aound the fort at the top of montjuic - there are beautiful gardens and a great view of Barcelona harbour's industrial section. Best of all there is no charge. There is also a small coffee bar where you can rest after you walk.

Jewish Mountain - Montjuic - so called because there was a Jewish cenetary and maybe settlement here. It is a very long walk from the bottom to the top although with a fenicular and cable car one does not have to get up there the hard way! There are wonderful views of the city as you climb up.
This is where you will find the Olympic stadium